a young reporter and co-worker gunned down. journalists across the country in shock. the shooter seen in this chilling final image as the cameraman falls to the ground. tonight, the gunman's family here in the bay area is speaking out about the killing. and good evening, everyone, i'm jessica aguirre. this is unfolding not just in virginia but here in the bay area. there is plenty of new information about the suspected gunman from oakland, but the core of all of this, the two

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young journalists, part of a calculated killing. a live interview that started like any other but this one ended in horror. gunshots, screams, and then the silence. the broadcast quickly cutting to a stunned anchor back in the studio. >> okay, not sure what happened there, we will let you know of course as soon as we know what the sound is from. >> 24-year-old alison parker and her co-worker, adam ward, were dead. >> it is my sad duty to report that alison and adam died this morning. >> all in a state of shock, you can hear people behind us in the news room, crying. >> reporter: the alleged gunman, vesterflanagan, a former reporter at that tv station known on air as bryce williams. a chaotic manhunt then ensued.

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as the police were chasing him he posted videos of the shooting. they are choosing not to air his videos. with police closing in, flanagan drives off the road and shoots himself. but the story doesn't end there. afterwards, ward faxed a suicide note, complaining of racism and being attacked for being a gay black man. he also referenced shootings at columbine. he says he has been a human powder keg for a while, waiting to go boom. he bought a gun two days after that racially charged mass shooting. flanagan had been fired, taking the news so badly that the police had to be called. >> he was sort of looking out for people to say things that he could take offense to.

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he -- and eventually after many incidents of his anger coming to the fore, we dismissed him. >> now tonight we're also learning a lot more about that young reporter and cameraman killed. they were a news team working together every morning. both virginia natives, both former interns. he watched as the shooting unfolded live. it was her last day at the station, she took a position in charlotte and ward was supposed to follow soon. 24-year-old alison parker also found love at the station, her boyfriend is an core. he says that parker was a dedicated journalist. >> she wanted to do journalism that mattered and had already done that in her short time at

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channel 7. >> you will be able to hear from chris hurst tomorrow. now alison parker's father released a statement saying that he is consumed by grief and loss, he writes that not hearing her voice crushes my soul. he writes that although her life was brief she was consumed with the happiness of it. and vicki gardner is the head of the local chamber of commerce in virginia. she was also being interviewed when she too, was shot. tonight, gardner is in stable condition. >> and the gunman, vester fl flanagan was from oakland and went to san jose state. cheryl herd is in vallejo this evening. and flanagan and his family have deep ties here. >> reporter: that is right, we

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have been outside the flanagan home for hours and we have not seen any family members tonight. it's a tough night for this family. and of course a tough night for the victims' families, as well. who is vesterflanagan? well, we talked to neighbors and tried to find out through one family member, as well. >> wow, that was great, you know what? i'm going to have to try this is. >> reporter: on his resume we found on youtube, vesterflanagan used the on-air name. >> bryce williams. >> reporter: early in the '90s he started his television career at kpix after receiving a degree in radio at san francisco state. but his neighbor in vallejo knew him as mark. >> he was always very nice to my wife and i. and i would never guess that he had anger issues. >> reporter: flanagan lived in vallejo for several years near his father, vester senior, a former nfl football player. but the 41-year-old grew up in

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oakland. >> he was softspoken. kind of -- he was a big guy, but he was a gentle giant. >> reporter: the same was said about him in his years at sky line high school. he graduated in 1991. he worked for a year at pacific gas and electricity before taking a tv news job in north carolina. >> he actually came over to our house. and gave us a card and told us you know, thank you for being great neighbors. and i'm actually going back to the east coast to be a reporter. >> flanagan worked several tv jobs but he ended up at wdbj in virginia in 2012. he filed a discrimination lawsuit in the past. but his family and friends are not focusing on that. a message was delivered from his family. >> it is awwith heavy hearts we

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express our condolences to the families of alison parker and adam ward. our thoughts at this time are with the victims' families. the family went on to say this is a shocki to everyone. reporting live in vallejo, i'm cheryl herd, nbc bay area news. cheryl, thank you, this kicked off a debate and how it played out in realtime. the boundaries and copycat crimes were discussed on facebook and twitter. and in south bay, check this out. ripping through a strip mall in santa clara. an explosion and flames destroying five businesses. it took pg&e more than four hours to shut off the gas line. now, the strip mall was at the intersection of lawrence expressway just north of el camino. >> reporter: jessica, firefighters are still here watching for hot spots.

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they say they will be here all night. take a look, you can see there is not much left of the strip mall. police say it all started with a hit-and-run. a gas-fuelled fire burns for hours in santa clara after it destroyed the plaza. >> it was like a big, big bomb. >> reporter: neighbors say they heard an explosion around 4:00. the woman drove her honda into the gas line, igniting the fast-moving fire. >> it moved fast, within an hour, a shopping center was on fire. >> reporter: within minutes, the three businesses are gone. the 68-year-old man grabbed his cash register and ran. after 15 years in business, his restaurant is gone. >> it's a family-owned restaurant. my brothers and i helped my dad. and we have about six employees. >> reporter: deborah hidalgo

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says the man in the parking lot helped alert people in the strip mall the fire was burning. firefighters say one person in the laundromat suffered injuries. >> we can't believe it. it happened so fast. >> reporter: the businesses burned in a matter of minutes but it took pg&e more than four hours to shut off the gas. the agency said it did not want to affect the electricity for neighbors. the burn was extinguished in about four hours. i believe he will be back. now, the santa clara police department is still looking for the hit-and-run driver. they plan to review some surveillance video from a nearby 7-eleven to see if a license plate was captured. thank you, we have another match for the 49ers, one player

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sent home, another player was charged with raping a drunk woman. later today, the district attorney charged ray mcdonald after the grand jury indicted him earlier. he is accused of raping a woman at his san jose home last december. >> i think the grand jury was convinced by the testimony of the victim in this case. that what took place between her and mr. mcdonald was not something she wished to take place. >> mcdonald is no longer with the 49ers. and he claimed the woman had consensual sex several times with him. he now faces eight years in prison if convicted. the other part of the story involves a current 49ers player, amad brooks, charged with sexual battery against the same woman the same night. this is brook's third run-in with the law in three years.

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the 49ers spokesperson said we take any charge against a player seriously and are in communication with the nfl. amad is returning home and will not participate in saturday's game. now the team is in denver getting ready for the preseason game against the broncos. coming up, the case that could change the charges. new information about the bullet that killed kate steinleon the embarcadero. also, one of the heroes who speaks about being a celebrity. plus, a chaotic flight that left a good samaritan injured and sent two women to jail. and good evening, the foggy conditions throughout san francisco. we'll talk more about the morning forecast and the possibility of a few showers from this storm system in just moments. inirgia . srtlaft th

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. back to that tragic shooting in virginia. now shortly after the news crew was killed the gunman posted his own video of the shooting for users of facebook and twitter users to see. the video was captured by a camera the gunman wore. and more information about regulations. terry mcsweeney went to vester's alma mater san francisco state, for answers. >> reporter: yes, a professor here at san francisco state said that social media came anti-social media. others are concerned that the video got posted at all suggests a very new and dark frontier. it is this perspective, the shooter's perspective that horrified social media.

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the shooter wore a camera when he did the shooting and posted it on facebook and twitter. >> it was chilling. >> reporter: one of the many who washed it, washington post media critic eric wimple. >> as twisted as it sounds, it is savvy by this killer, that is a terrible, terrible thing to consider. >> reporter: the question is could more have been done? >> how could you regulate everything? i mean, if you had like three users, yes. i mean we have millions. facebook could be its own country. >> reporter: smith says it's up to social media users to govern themselves. >> i mean, if we're going to give someone a megaphone, we have to realize how they use it. the first amendment, right to free speech, we have the responsibility to think about what we say before we say it. >> reporter: students we spoke with found flaws in the media

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they follow. >> just suffering, people watching a situation, filming it instead of going in and helping the situation. so just the fact it's being put up there is a little scary. >> nobody realizes the effects of that, there is no downfall until you realize it. and it's just unbelievable. >> as far as the chances of a copycat, professor smith says if people take a look at the scorn being heaped on the killer and the fact he shot himself, that would really reduce the chance after copycat crime. thank you, terry, we have extensive coverage on our digital platform, just go to nbcbayarea.com, or you can download our app. we'll also have live coverage. and now to the shooting in san francisco, kate steinle may

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have been accidentally shot. experts testified that the bullet may have ricochetted off the walkway and hit steinle. but investigators say that the gun was pointed in a state line to the victim. juan lopez sanchez, an undocumented immigrant is accused of killing steinle in july. the preliminary hearing continues tomorrow. and police officers expected to hit the streets of san francisco. yesterday a tourist was shot in the russian hill neighborhood. the camera was stolen from the suspects, they were arrested later after a high speed chase across the bridge. >> our message to anybody else who is thinking of coming here and doing this don't do it. this will happen, we'll have an officer, anthony randolph, waiting for you somewhere. >> the man shot is a member of the air force in thailand. he is expected to make a full recovery.

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also sfpd says that more than 200 officers will patrol the streets next year. and a dog owner abusing a dog, shot on camera, will be in court. the video is disturbing to watch. the prosecutors say that linda levac is the woman picking up the dog in her care, slamming it to the ground and hitting it. levac is a dog sitter. after seeing the video, the authorities went to the home and seized 11 dogs in her care. the dog, the one in the video is back home with his owners and is okay. and quite a sight and quite a smell in alameda. take a look, that is a dead whale lodged across from jack lemon square. the researchers have not been able to tell the type or how big this whale is. they are looking at options to pull the whale from the water to do research with it. but that process is expensive and difficult.

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there it is right there near jack lemon square. it will approach the century mark for portions of the bay area. we'll have details on that in just a moment. we'll look after the warm day today still holding onto 69 in the south bay. 74 in the east bay and san francisco at 63, not totally fogged in at this hour. and because of the lack of thick fog at the immediate coastline i do think we'll have a decent amount of sunshine to start. let's look and you can see we'll begin tomorrow down in the south bay with 63, mainly clear skies. 66 in the east bay. we even think of partly cloudy skies in san francisco with 59. it's been all about this area with high pressure, and the four corner areas, the monsoonal moisture associated with it. we still think that thunderstorms will stay off to the east tomorrow.

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there is an amount of hot air surrounding this region of high pressure. we'll have the widespread humidity in the atmosphere. let's look at the forecast as we head throughout thursday. you will notice san jose stays out of the 100s. that is the good news, in the santa clara valley, morgan hill, that is where temperatures are warmer. check it out. morgan hill, 96 degrees, pacifica warming up tomorrow, palo alto, 87, the mission up to 78 degrees, the marina at 73, the north bay, east bay, for the tri-valley this is where it will get uncomfortable tomorrow. danville, one of our hot temperatures at 99 degrees. 96 in pleasanton, and livermore

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coming in at 98. walnut creek up to 97, possibility of rainfall still on the table as we head throughout friday. the storm system will be way, way too far off to the north. we still have a chance here of slight showers as we head throughout saturday's forecast. you will see the models painting it through marin, and napa counties. nothing expected through the peninsula down to san jose. a few drops, it seems laughable for some of you who say that is not really rainfall. friday's forecast still remains rather hot. then on saturday we drop temperatures by 10 degrees. best chance of showers as we head out saturday. for the north bay i do want to end it for the tropical storm. erica in the atlantic, winds at 40 miles per hour. if you're doing any traveling next week this storm will be parallel to florida.

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we could see a category 1 storm so this will be a system to watch if you're traveling. and this can't really happen, can it? a partnership between mcdonald's and burger king, at least for one day. >> and we have jimmy. hey, guys, we have kobe bryant and jennifer hudson. got to watch. [female announcer] during mattress price wars at sleep train,

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well, we must say he was softspoken today, but what he did on that train spoke volumes. a hero's welcome in sacramento for the college student credited with saving a trainful of people. >> and i'm just glad to be back here to see everybody.

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it's kind of overwhelming for me. i didn't expect all of this to happen. >> he was on his summer vacation. that is anthony sadler, one of the three californians who helped to take down the terror suspect on the paris-bound train a few weeks ago. he was honored today by sacramento's mayor, mayor kevin johnson who praised the hero but also provided a lighter moment. >> all the pictures of you over in europe, you had a laker, a laker jersey on. so -- so -- >> you can't like the lakers if you're from sacramento. the other two men, by the way, are still in germany. sacramento is planning a parade when all three return home. and an attack on a tarmac, two men arrested after a fight on a plane. happening this morning on a jetblue flight coming from

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jamaica. authorities say the fight started when one woman tried to climb over the other. one woman used a razer, the other, pepper spray. several of the passengers had to be treated for problems breathing, both women were arrested. and good news for buster posey and the giants. coming up next.

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. good evening, 49ers linebacker brooks sent back home for the practice in denver against the broncos, after he was charged with misdemeanor sexual battery by the santa clara d.a.'s office. two charges stem from an incident at mcdonald's former residence in 2014, according to the d.a.'s office. mcdonald could face eight years in prison if convicted, brooks a maximum of six months. well, there is no better substitute for getting prepared then by facing the opposing defense as kaepernick did today

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at the 49ers facility. the defense actually picked him off once and kap also tossed a td pass during the scrimmage. and with the giants and the cubs, like the g-men needed more injuries. game tied at two. brandon belt led off with a two, buster posey followed up. line drive, belt comes into score. posey safe at second, giants take a 3-2 lead. later in the inning, tomlinson taking the half. giants get their first win this season against the cubs, 4-2. the final. well, no afternoon delight for the a's, facing king felix in their series against the mari r mariners. dirty change-up to josh reddick, king struck out seven, game up just a pair of earned runs in an

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8-2 win. finally, buster posey, still time for the bay area youth. the giants catcher made a surprise appearance in san francisco this morning. posey held a baseball and softball clinic and also talked about the importance of proper hydration when competing. that is it for sports. more news coming up after the break. hey terry stop! they have a special!

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turns out mcdonald's will not be cooking the ultimate burger in the name of world peace. the combination big mac and whopper would be sold for one day. tonight, the ceos said they hoped the two companies could do something better to make a difference. >> we'll let you know, world peace. >> have a great day. good-bye. >> steve: from stage one at universal studios hollywood in los angeles, california, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." tonight, join jimmy and his guests -- vin diesel carl reiner kobe bryant musil